AgustaWestland: Why did UPA go to Italy, when it could have shopped in Hyderabad

One of the main allegations made in the AugustaWestland case was that middleman, James Christian Michel had deliberately disqualified the competition. Michel was aware that the AgustaWestland chopper was not catering to certain requirements that included ceiling and cabin height.

The main competitor was from Sikorsky which had entered into a joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. The Tata Advanced Systems Ltd India and Sikorsky Aircraft Company USA based in Hyderabad entered into a joint venture to manufacture 4,000 parts for the S92 helicopter cabins.

The allegation is that the UPA government had decided to go ahead with AgustaWestland, despite Sikorsky putting out a lower tender. Read More